Anchor

ABSTRACT

An anchor for a cable or rod includes a ferrule or other spring stop, to which one or more springs or arms are coupled. The spring stop may be attached to an end or other region of the cable to enable the cable to be tensioned against a support structure. The one or more springs or arms may be, for example, one or more coil springs, one or more conical coil springs, two or more cantilever springs, or one more arms. The anchor is twisted or pushed through a hole in the support structure from a first side to a second side and contacts the surface of the second side. A ferrule spring stop may be swaged to the cable or rod.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/281,675 filed on Sep. 30, 2016 and also claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/348,309 filed Jun. 10, 2016 whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Cable railings are becoming increasingly popular. Commonly, the railingsare placed in tension between support posts, walls or other supportstructures. The cables ends must be securely anchored to the supportstructure to resist the tension.

When the support structure is a solid material of sufficient thickness,such as a 4″×4″ wood post, for example, a lag bolt or the like may beused as an anchor. However, when the support structure is thin otheranchor types must be used.

For a support structure, such as a thin-walled support structure, it ispreferable that an anchor be easily installable when only externalaccess to the support structure is available. Further, an anchor shouldbe inexpensive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide visual representations which will beused to more fully describe various representative embodiments and canbe used by those skilled in the art to better understand therepresentative embodiments disclosed and their inherent advantages. Thedrawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placedupon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methodsdescribed herein. In these drawings, like reference numerals mayidentify corresponding elements.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor prior toinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor duringinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor afterinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor with a singleconical coil spring, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor with a doubleconical coil spring, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor prior toinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor duringinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor afterinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating assembly of a cable anchor, consistentwith certain embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor having anextension element for ease of insertion, consistent with certainembodiments;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor having anextension element for ease of insertion, consistent with certainembodiments;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor prior toinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor duringinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor afterinstallation, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor withintegrated ferrule and arm, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of a spring element of a cableanchor, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor assembly withferrule and spring element, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic representation of an installed cable anchorassembly, consistent with certain embodiments;

FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic representation of a grommet complementary to acable anchor, consistent with certain embodiments; and

FIG. 20 is a further diagrammatic representation of an installedgrommet, consistent with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail specific embodiments, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of theinvention and not intended to limit the invention to the specificembodiments shown and described. In the description below, likereference numerals may be used to describe the same, similar orcorresponding parts in the several views of the drawings.

In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top andbottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity oraction from another entity or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities oractions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,”“has,” “having,” or any other variations thereof, are intended to covera non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by“comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude theexistence of additional identical elements in the process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment,” “certainembodiments,” “an embodiment,” “implementation(s),” “aspect(s),” orsimilar terms means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, theappearances of such phrases or in various places throughout thisspecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments withoutlimitation.

The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive ormeaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means “any ofthe following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C.” Anexception to this definition will occur only when a combination ofelements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutuallyexclusive. Also, grammatical conjunctions are intended to express anyand all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses,sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear fromthe context. Thus, the term “or” should generally be understood to mean“and/or” and so forth.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety. References to items in the singular should be understoodto include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly statedotherwise or clear from the text.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting,referring instead individually to any and all values falling within therange, unless otherwise indicated, and each separate value within such arange is incorporated into the specification as if it were individuallyrecited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,” “substantially,” orthe like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed asindicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skillin the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges ofvalues and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, anddo not constitute a limitation on the scope of the describedembodiments. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language(“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely tobetter illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on thescope of the embodiments. No language in the specification should beconstrued as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to thepractice of the embodiments.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may berepeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogouselements. Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding ofthe embodiments described herein. The embodiments may be practicedwithout these details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures, and components have not been described in detail to avoidobscuring the embodiments described. The description is not to beconsidered as limited to the scope of the embodiments described herein.

In the following description, it is understood that terms such as“first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “above,” “below,” andthe like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed aslimiting terms. Also, the terms apparatus and device may be usedinterchangeably in this text.

Various embodiments described herein relate to a cable anchor. Theanchor is described as used for anchoring a cable railing, but theanchor may be used in other applications. For example, the anchor may beused with suspension cables for supporting objects from a ceiling.

The present disclosure relates to an anchor for coupling a component ofa cable railing system to a support structure through a hole in thesupport structure. The component may be a cable, a rod, or a cablefitting, for example. In some embodiments the anchor includes a springelement and a ferrule for attaching the spring element to the component.The spring element has a first region and a second region, where thesecond region comprises a coil spring. The ferrule is configured tocouple the first region of the spring element to the component of thecable railing system. The anchor is configured to couple the componentthrough a hole in a support structure, where a cross dimension of thehole is greater than a cross dimension of the ferrule and less than adiameter of the coil spring. The ferrule is configured for attachment tothe cable via swaging.

The anchor may also include one or more second spring elements alsocoupled to the cable by the ferrule.

The coil spring may have a conical profile, a cylindrical profile, orsome other profile.

In some embodiments, the spring element has a third region, where thesecond region is located between the first and third regions. The thirdregion may be a coil configured as a grommet, for example, that is sizedto fit at least partially within the hole. Alternatively, the thirdregion of the first spring element may comprise a tab adapted tofacilitate insertion of the anchor through a hole.

A further embodiment of the disclosure relates to an anchor for a cableor rod. The anchor includes a ferrule and one or more cantileversprings. Each cantilever spring has a first end and a second end, wherethe first ends of the one or more cantilever springs are coupled to theferrule and where the ferrule is sized for attachment to the cable orrod.

An exemplary embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. A cable assembly 100includes cable 102, spring stop 104 and spring element 106. In theembodiment shown, the spring stop 104 comprises a ferrule that isattached to a region of the cable 102 and couples spring element 106 tothe cable. A first region of the coil spring is held within the ferrule104, while a second region, comprising a conical coil spring in thisembodiment, is visible. Cable anchor 108 is provided by the combinationof ferrule 104 and spring element 106. The cable may be a single ormulti-strand wire rope, for example. The anchor may also be used tocouple other components of a cable railing system, such as a tensionerfor example, to a support structure. The coil spring of spring element106 may have a conical profile, as shown in the figure, or some otherprofile. In the sequel, spring stop 104 is generally referred to as aferrule. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed anchor isnot limited to the use of a ferrule and that other kinds of spring stopsmay be used without departing from the present disclosure.

Ferrule 104 may be attached to an end of cable 102 and provide an endstop. Alternatively, the ferrule may be attached to another location,part way along the cable. In one embodiment, ferrule 104 is a metalferrule that is swaged down to a ¼″ diameter and attached to a cablehaving a diameter in the range ⅛″ to 3/16″, for example. Other sizes maybe used without departing from the present disclosure.

In use, cable anchor 108 is passed through hole 110 in support surfaceor structure 112. The hole 110 is sized to allow passage of ferrule 104.

In one embodiment, where the spring element 106 comprises a conical coilspring, the inside diameter (I.D.) of conical coil spring at the smallerend of the conical coil spring, is slightly greater than the diameter ofthe cable, and the outside diameter (O.D.) of the spring is slightlyless than the diameter of hole 110. The diameter of conical coil spring106 at the larger end is greater than that of the hole 110. For example,the diameter may be ⅜″ or greater for a ¼″ diameter hole.

In one embodiment, a ferrule is swaged down to 0.25″ diameter on a 3/16″(0.1875″) diameter cable and couples a spring element to the cable. Theassembly may be passed through a hole with diameter of 17/64″(0.265625″), for example, in a support structure. The second region ofthe spring element has a diameter greater than 17/64″ (0.265625″) toprevent the anchor from being pulled back through the hole. The springelement may have a wire diameter of 0.029″ and may be constructed of 316grade stainless steel, for example. Thus, the ferrule may pass throughthe hole. Also, the cable and a length of spring may pass through thehole. However, a coil of spring element is too large to pass through thehole.

In a further embodiment, a ferrule is swaged down to 0.25″ diameter on a⅛″ (0.125″) diameter cable and couples a spring element to the cable.The assembly may be passed through a hole with diameter of 17/64″(0.265625″), for example, in a support structure. The second region ofthe spring element has a diameter greater than 17/64″ (0.265625″) toprevent the anchor from being pulled back through the hole.

In a still further embodiment, a ferrule is swaged down to 0.375″diameter on a ¼″ (0.25″) diameter cable and couples a spring element tothe cable. The assembly may be passed through a hole with diameter of25/64″ (0.390625″), for example, in a support structure. The secondregion of the spring element has a diameter greater than 25/64″(0.390625″) to prevent the anchor from being pulled back through thehole.

The dimensions in the examples above are approximate and may, of course,be varied. However, from these examples, it will be clear to those ofordinary skill in the art how the components of an anchor and acorresponding hole in a support structure may be sized relative to oneanother for use with a cable of any given diameter.

The coils of coil spring of element 106 are spaced such that the anchor108 can be wound or screwed into the hole 110 in the support surface112. The number of coils and spring rate may be selected depending uponthe application.

Spring element 106 and ferrule 104 may be constructed from a variety ofmaterials. For example, stainless steel or phosphorus bronze may be useddepending on the environment where the anchor is installed. Cheapermaterials, such as piano wire for example, may be used for interiorapplications.

While the embodiment in FIG. 1 shows spring element 106 as including aconical coil spring, a non-conical coil spring, such as a cylindricalcoil spring for example, may be used in other embodiments withoutdeparting from the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows the anchor located part way into the hole. Cable 102 flexestowards the region of spring element 106 within the hole. The hole,spring and cable should be sized to allow the spring and cable to passthrough the hole. The anchor 108 is rotated in the hole so that theconical coil spring of spring element 106 draws the anchor in thedirection of arrow 202.

FIG. 3 shows the installed anchor. When tension is applied to cable 102in the direction of arrow 302, the conical coil spring of spring element106 is compressed and resists the tension. In one embodiment, when theapplied tension exceeds a limit of the spring, the coil spring iscompressed until the coils of the spring contact one another and thespring can be compressed no further. The coil spring may become lodgedinto the gap between the ferrule and the support structure. Thecross-sectional shape of the spring wire of spring element 106 and thepitch of the coil spring may be selected to ensure that the spring laysflat when fully compressed.

The coil spring of spring element 106 serves to deflect the ferrule 104,such that end edge of the ferrule contacts the periphery of hole 110 insupport surface 112 when tension is applied to cable 102.

The spring element 106 may be attached to a cable or other component ata first region of the spring element, while the coil spring provides asecond region of the spring element. Thus, in the embodiment shown,spring element 106 has a first region that contacts the ferrule 104 andsecond region that contacts the support surface 112, the second regioncomprising a coil spring, the spring element sized to receive an end ofthe cable or other component.

The ferrule 104 provides a spring stop that is configured to couple tothe component and to contact the first region of the spring element 106,thereby preventing motion of the spring element along the component in afirst direction. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart that motion of the spring element may be prevent by other types ofspring stops. For example, a collar or other element may be attached tothe cable by welding, clamping, adhesive, epoxy, crimping etc. Thespring stop is sized to pass through the hole 110 in support surface112.

The attachment 104 prevents the spring element 106 from sliding alongthe cable 102 when tension is applied in the direction of arrow 302. Thespring element 104 may or may not be coupled to the cable via attachment104. For example, attachment 104 may serve as a stop.

In order to aid in the installation and/or rotation of the anchor, thespring element 106 may include an extension element, such as a removabletab, attached to the larger diameter end of the conical spring 106. Theextension element forms a third region of the spring element and may beremoved once the anchor is inserted.

An anti-corrosion coating may be applied to the anchor. A stainlesssteel anchor may be subject to a passivation step.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of cable anchor 108 with asingle conical coil spring, consistent with certain embodiments. Thefigure shows an end view of anchor 108. The anchor 108 includes ferrule104 and a single conical coil spring 106.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of cable anchor 500 with adouble conical coil spring, consistent with certain embodiments. Thefigure shows an end view of anchor 108. The anchor 500 includes ferrule104, first conical coil spring 502 and second conical coil spring 504.Coil springs with profiles other than conical made be used.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor assembly 600prior to installation, consistent with further embodiments. In theembodiment shown, the cable anchor 602 includes first cantilever spring604 and second cantilever spring 606. The cable anchor 602 and ferrule104 are attached to cable or rod 102. One or more additional cantileversprings may be incorporated. Alternatively, a single cantilever springmay be used. In one embodiment, the cantilever springs are uniformlyspaced around the circumference of the ferrule. For example, two springsmay be spaced 180° apart (diametrically opposite) and three springs maybe located at 120° intervals around the ferrule.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of cable anchor assembly duringinstallation. Cantilever springs 604 and 606 bend towards the rod orcable 102 to allow the anchor to pass through hole 110 in supportstructure 112 in the direction indicated by arrow 702.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of cable anchor assembly afterinstallation. Cantilever springs 604 and 606 bend outwards from the rodor cable 102 to prevent the anchor 602 from pass back through hole 110in support structure 112 when tension is applied to the rod or cable 102in the direction of arrow 802.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating assembly of a cable anchor, consistentwith certain embodiments. Referring to FIG. 9, the spring element 106has an end portion or first end region 902 that is longitudinallyaligned along the cable 102. Ferrule 104 is placed over the cable 102and the first region 902, such that the end of the cable and the firstregion 902 are located inside the ferrule. The ferrule is thencontracted around the cable and the end portion 902 to form a cableanchor (as shown in FIG. 1, for example). A second region 904 of thespring element 106 comprises a coil spring.

The spring element may be attached to the cable by other means, withoutdeparting from the present disclosure. For example, a spiral portion ofthe conical coil spring may be attached to the cable without a need fora ferrule or other end stop. The attachment means should be configuredto withstand the maximum tension applied to cable 102 in use.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of a spring element of cableanchor an extension element for ease of insertion, consistent withcertain embodiments. The spring element 106 comprises a first region902, a central second region 904, and a third region 1002. In theembodiment shown, the central second region is a conical coil spring andthe third region 1002 is an extension element or tab 1002. The springelement 106 may be attached to a cable or cable fitting by holding thefirst region 902 between the cable and a ferrule, for example, to form acable anchor. The cable anchor may be twisted into a hole in a supportstructure by applying pressure to the extension element 1002 without aneed for an installer to contact an end of the conical coil spring. Theextension element 1002 may be configured to allow it to be removed afterthe cable inserted is inserted or almost inserted into the hole in thesupport structure. For example, the region where extension element 1002and the conical coil spring 904 of spring element 106 are joined may benotched or crimped such that the region will fatigue and break afterrepeated bending. Alternatively, the extension element 1002 may remainin place after insertion of the cable anchor. In a further embodiment,the extension element is shaped, like a grommet for example, to fill thegap between the cable and the support structure so as to prevent orlimited water intrusion through the hole in the support structure.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor an extensionelement for ease of insertion, consistent with certain embodiments. Inthe embodiment shown, the extension element 1002 remains in the hole inthe support structure and serves to keep the conical coil spring 106 inthe desired location.

A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 12. A cable assembly 1200 includescable 102, ferrule 104 attached to a region of the cable 102, and arm1204. Cable anchor 1202 is provided by the combination of ferrule 104and arm 1204. A portion of arm 1204 may extend into ferrule 104 and theferrule swaged around the arm 1204 and cable 102. Arm 1204 may beconstructed metal or other materials. When cable 102 is flexible, arm1204 may be substantially rigid or more spring-like. When cable 102 is arod, arm 1204 may have sufficient flexibility to enable insertion of thecable anchor. In use, cable anchor 1202 is passed through hole 110 insupport surface 112. The hole 110 is sized to allow passage of ferrule104.

FIG. 13 shows the cable anchor located part way into the hole in supportstructure 112 during insertion in the direction of arrow 1302. Withinthe hole, cable 102 flexes towards the arm 1204 for facilitateinsertion. The hole, arm and cable should be sized to allow the arm andcable to pass through the hole.

FIG. 14 shows the installed cable anchor. When tension is applied tocable 102 in the direction of arrow 1402, arm 1204 deflects ferrule 104such that the ferrule is displaced and an end edge of the ferrulecontacts the periphery of hole in support surface 112 and prevents theferrule from passing through the hole.

Thus, the cable anchor in FIGS. 12-14 includes a ferrule, the ferrulehaving an interior volume sized to receive the cable. The ferrule isconfigured to be swaged to a first region of the cable. A single arm isshown in the figure; however, one or more additional arms may be used.The first arm has a first end region and a second end region, and isconfigured such that, when the first end region of the first arm isattached to the first region of the cable, the second end region of thefirst arm extends away from the cable. In use, the first end region ofthe first arm and the first region of the cable are located inside theferrule and the ferrule is contracted around the first region of thecable and the first end region. The first end region is not visible inthe figures, since it is located inside the ferrule 104. The second endregion of the first arm 1204 may be straight or, as shown, curved awayfrom the cable. The first arm may be substantially rigid or flexible.

FIG. 15 shows an embodiment where the first end region of the arm may beintegral with the ferrule. The cable anchor 1500 comprises a ferruleportion 1502 and an arm portion 1504. In use, a cable is inserted intothe interior of ferrule region 1502 and the region is compressed orswaged around the cable. Arm portion 1504 is angled away from thecentral longitudinal axis of the ferrule portion 1502. Once insertedinto a support structure, the arm portion deflects the ferrule portionas described above with respect to FIG. 14.

The cable anchor may be attached to one end of a cable and a cable railfitting, such as a tensioner, may be attached to the other. For example,a short section of cable with a cable anchor may be used to attach acable tensioner to a post or other support structure.

Alternatively, the cable anchor may be used to couple a cable railfitting to a post or other support structure directly.

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of a spring element of a cableanchor, consistent with certain embodiments. Spring element 1600includes a first region 1602, a second region 1604 and a third region1606. The first region 1602 is coupled to a cable by a ferrule or othermeans and the second region 1604 comprises a coil spring designed toprevent the anchor from being pulled back through a hole in a supportstructure. The third region 1606 comprises a tightly wound coil springdesigned to fit within the hole and act as a grommet. In an alternativeembodiment, the third region may comprise a cylinder sized to fit atleast partially within the hole. The dimensions and/or profile of thespring element 1600 may be varied in other embodiments. For example,first region 1602 may have a smaller diameter than second region 1604 tofacilitate use with a ferrule or other spring stop.

Second region 1604 may comprise a conical coil spring, a cylindricalcoil spring, a combination thereof, or a coil spring of other profile.The spring may contain one or more coils. The material of the spring mayhave circular, rectangular or other cross section.

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic representation of a cable anchor assembly witha ferrule and spring element, consistent with certain embodiments. Afirst region of the spring element is held between ferrule 104 and cable102. The second region 1604 and the third region 1606 surround cable102.

FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic representation of an installed cable anchorassembly, consistent with certain embodiments. Third region 1606 islocated at least partially inside a hole in support structure 112. Whencable 102 is tensioned in the direction of arrow 1802, the second region1604 is compressed. The diameter of second region 1604 is greater thanthe diameter of the hole in support structure 112 and prevents theanchor from being pulled through the hole.

FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic representation of a grommet complementary to acable anchor, consistent with certain embodiments. A cable railing isanchored to some support structures, such as post, but may simply passthrough other posts. Grommet 1900 and third region 1606 (shown in FIG.16) may have matching or complementary designs and can protect a cablefrom sharp edges of a hole. In the embodiment shown, grommet 1900comprises a tightly wound spring. The central portion of the spring hasa slightly smaller diameter than the two ends.

FIG. 20 is a further diagrammatic representation of an installedgrommet, consistent with certain embodiments. Grommet 1900 is pushed ortwisted in a hole in support structure 112 and cable 102 is passedthrough the grommet. The ends of grommet may protrude from the hole.Contact between cable 102 and support structure 112 is prevented, sincegrommet 1900 is located between them.

As referenced above, the cable anchor described herein may be part of asystem for anchoring a cable railing. The cable anchor may includewithout limitation any of the embodiments described herewith.

The implementations of the present disclosure, described above, areintended to be examples only. Those of skill in the art can effectalterations, modifications and variations to the particular exampleembodiments herein without departing from the intended scope of thepresent disclosure. Moreover, selected features from one or more of theabove-described example embodiments can be combined to createalternative example embodiments not explicitly described herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its essence or fundamental characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore,indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

It will be appreciated that the devices, systems, and methods describedabove are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Absent anexplicit indication to the contrary, the disclosed steps may bemodified, supplemented, omitted, and/or re-ordered without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure. Numerous variations, additions,omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method stepsin the description and drawings above is not intended to require thisorder of performing the recited steps unless a particular order isexpressly required or otherwise clear from the context.

The method steps of the implementations described herein are intended toinclude any suitable method of causing such method steps to beperformed, consistent with the patentability of the following claims,unless a different meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear fromthe context. So for example performing X includes any suitable methodfor causing another party such as a remote user, a remote processingresource (e.g., a server or cloud computer) or a machine to perform X.Similarly, performing steps X, Y, and Z may include any method ofdirecting or controlling any combination of such other individuals orresources to perform steps X, Y, and Z to obtain the benefit of suchsteps. Thus method steps of the implementations described herein areintended to include any suitable method of causing one or more otherparties or entities to perform the steps, consistent with thepatentability of the following claims, unless a different meaning isexpressly provided or otherwise clear from the context. Such parties orentities need not be under the direction or control of any other partyor entity, and need not be located within a particular jurisdiction.

It should further be appreciated that the methods above are provided byway of example. Absent an explicit indication to the contrary, thedisclosed steps may be modified, supplemented, omitted, and/orre-ordered without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above areset forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations,additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation ofmethod steps in the description and drawings above is not intended torequire this order of performing the recited steps unless a particularorder is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus,while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications in form and details may be made therein without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure and are intended to form a part of thedisclosure as defined by the following claims, which are to beinterpreted in the broadest sense allowable by law.

The various representative embodiments, which have been described indetail herein, have been presented by way of example and not by way oflimitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made in the form and details of the describedembodiments resulting in equivalent embodiments that remain within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An anchor comprising: a ferrule, the ferrulehaving an interior volume sized to receive a component, and the ferruleconfigured to be coupled to a first region of the component; and asingle arm having a first end region and a second end region, the firstend region attached to the ferrule, and configured such that, when thefirst end region of the single arm is attached to the first region ofthe component, the second end region of the single arm extends away fromthe component and the second end region provides a resistance forcewhile interfacing with a portion of a surface of a support structure,where, in use, the first end region of the single arm and the firstregion of the component are located inside the ferrule and the ferruleis contracted around the first region of the component and the first endregion of the single arm.
 2. The anchor of claim 1, where the ferrule isconfigured for attachment to the component via swaging.
 3. The anchor ofclaim 1, where the second end region of the single arm is curved awayfrom the component.
 4. The anchor of claim 1, where the single arm issubstantially rigid or flexible.
 5. The anchor of claim 1, where thesingle arm is integral with the ferrule and the ferrule forms the firstend region of the first arm.
 6. The anchor of claim 5, where the singlearm is substantially rigid.
 7. The anchor of claim 1, where thecomponent comprises a cable or a cable fitting of a cable railingsystem.
 8. An anchor comprising: a ferrule, the ferrule having aninterior volume sized to receive a component, and the ferrule configuredto be coupled to a first region of the component; a single arm having afirst end region and a second end region, the first end region attachedto the ferrule, the second end region of the single arm being straight,the single arm is configured such that, when the first end region of thesingle arm is attached to the first region of the component, the secondend region of the single arm extends away from the component and thesecond end region provides a resistance force while interfacing with aportion of a surface of a support structure, where, in use, the firstend region of the single arm and the first region of the component arelocated inside the ferrule and the ferrule is contracted around thefirst region of the component and the first end region of the singlearm.
 9. An anchor comprising: a ferrule, the ferrule having an interiorvolume sized to receive a component, and the ferrule configured to becoupled to a first region of the component; a first arm having a firstend region and a second end region, the first arm being configured suchthat, when the first end region of the first arm is attached to thefirst region of the component, the second end region of the first armextends away from the component, and the second end region of the firstarm provides a resistance force while interfacing with a portion of asurface of a support structure; a second arm, having a first end regionand a second end region; when the first end region of the second arm isattached to the first region of the component, the second end region ofthe second arm extends away from the component and the first and secondarms are flexible, and the second end region of the second arm providesa resistance force while interfacing with a portion of a surface of asupport structure.
 10. The anchor of claim 9, where the first arm isintegral with the ferrule and the ferrule forms the first end region ofthe first arm.
 11. The anchor of claim 9, where the component comprisesa cable or a cable fitting of a cable railing system.